Punishing Zebo and Co for celebrating is nonsense, Midlands derby gearing up to be the perfect storm and send Fiji to Glasgow

The very fact that the theory emerged at all is alarming. Lions wing Simon Zebo has been forced to deny suggestions that he has been overlooked by Ireland due to outlandish try celebrations.

Despite being in fine scoring form for Munster, the 24-year-old was left out of his country’s match-day squad throughout the recent Six Nations title-winning campaign – with Leinster’s Dave Kearney and Andrew Trimble of Ulster occupying the wide positions. Now, the latter player in particular had a fine tournament, but Zebo has a certain X-factor which should be his trump card.

What he also has is an expressive streak, so when he touches down, he likes to enjoy it. Apparently, this was considered as a potential reason for his championship omission by new national coach, Joe Schmidt, but he denied as much, saying: ‘I don’t think I’m the only one to celebrate tries. That’s people looking for a reason as to why I wasn’t picked. Talk about celebrations of tries is nonsense.’ For the good of the game, let’s hope so. This has happened before and it has to stop. Chris Ashton was repeatedly castigated for his ‘Ash Splash’ routine, with critics seemingly oblivious to the irony that their complaints were persistent because he kept scoring – ie. doing his job.

Personality: Munster and Ireland flyer Simon Zebo has been criticised for his eccentric try celebrations

Speedster: Players like Zebo make the game more entertaining and should not be penalised for it

Rugby has to be careful that it doesn’t develop a complex about fun and unorthodoxy. It is high time the game grasped the need to extend its appeal and if that means embracing new concepts, so be it. There cannot be such a horrified aversion to the loud and brash and garish, within reason.

If players want to wear yellow, pink or bright blue boots, no problem, as long as they continue to perform. Talk of drawing the attention of referees is surely a red herring – so to speak – especially when offences occur amid a jumble of bodies and limbs. And no-one complained too much when the likes of Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis won Olympic gold in varying shades of neon footwear.

Why should rugby shun fun? Celebrate tries, as long as it doesn’t involve belittling opponents, which has become a creeping blight on the game. There is no need for a bonfire of the sport’s traditions, but tattoos, vivid kits, whacky hair styles, wild beards and changing-room ‘selfies’ shouldn’t be condemned as dangerous crimes either.

The next World Cup presents a unique opportunity in these parts to bring the game to new audiences, but rugby won’t do so if it approaches the event with closed, conservative minds.

The old saying was that if Wales needed a new fly half, they just had to whistle down a pit shaft. Well, soon, the most productive mines may all be found across the border. English rugby is increasingly acting as a finishing school for Welsh No 10s. The exodus of stand offs amounts to an export boom. This week, Gloucester announced the signing of Aled Thomas from the Scarlets. Earlier this month, highly-regarded Ospreys playmaker, Matthew Morgan, was named as another recruit for Bristol, where he will join Nicky Robinson. Meanwhile, Owen Williams has been flourishing at Leicester and is being touted as a Test prospect for Warren Gatland. The Kiwi has home-based candidates led by Dan Biggar, Rhys Priestland and Rhys Patchell, plus the growing contingent in England, not to mention James Hook in France. In time, he may have cause to salute the export boom which is broadening his options.

Overseas: James Hook is one of several Welsh fly halves to be playing in a different country

Call it a perfect storm. The next instalment of the East Midlands derby is primed to erupt at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday. The Aviva Premiership encounter is a repeat of last year’s final, and the Saints will be driven by the memories of that painful day. Wayne Barnes was the referee at Twickenham last May, who sent off Northampton captain Dylan Hartley, and sure enough he will be in charge again. Jim Mallinder’s side are coming off the back of a shock loss at Sale last weekend and defeat in the LV Cup Final the week before. Those wounded beasts will be confronted by Tigers who bared their teeth in last Sunday’s 45-15 mauling of Exeter, to ignite their title challenge. There are Test match-ups all over the field. Even the coaches have had to be separated in the past. The rivalry is ferocious. Anticipate mayhem.

While the future direction of European club rugby was being fine-tuned this week, one of the great Heineken Cup clubs were coming to terms with a sad step down. Biarritz’s defeat at Perpignan last Saturday condemned the Basques to relegation from France’s Top 14 league. Not even their long-term luminaries, Imanol Harinordoquy and Dimitri Yachvili, could prevent the demise and the latter was left to express his regret while club president and France icon Serge Blanco snuck out through a side door, to avoid tough questions. Biarritz were league champions in 2002, 2005 and 2006, and European finalists in 2006 and as recently as 2010, but French rugby – fuelled by big spending – is continually evolving and there must be grave doubts about whether they will ever fully recover.

French flops: Biarritz's defeat to Pepignan condemned the former European giants to relegation

Last Word – This weekend, Fiji will aim to build on their victory in the Tokyo leg of the world Sevens series by winning the blue-riband event in Hong Kong. Their prowess in the abbreviated game remains as potent as ever, which makes their absence from the Commonwealth Games tournament in July a desperate shame. On thursday, the Pacific island nation’s sporting authorities voted against a boycott of the Games in protest at their exclusion from the Sevens and netball competitions, but their sense of grievance lingers. Fiji was banned from the Commonwealth in 2010 due to the military regime’s rejection of calls for democratic elections. The ban was partially lifted earlier this month, but by then the participants for the team sports in Glasgow had already been finalised. For Sevens, they include the likes of Barbados, Uganda and the Cook Islands. With the greatest respect to those countries, they will not significantly enhance the event, as Fiji truly would do. The organisers could and should find a way to belatedly include English coach Ben Ryan’s box-office team.